Todd Nesnick
If you have a business you will need an online presence including a website and social media. If you do not know what I am referring to, then you need to hire an SEO expert. There is a process to hiring the right person for the job and that is to find out what they offer, what they bring to your business and what their experience is with the process. You should understand the basics of SEO so that you understand what an SEO expert has to offer. An SEO expert will assist your business by ensuring that you are at the top of the search engine ranks and that means you are there organically, not by having to pay for advertising. Here are some questions you should ask a potential SEO provider:
Which Tools do you use for Your SEO Campaigns?
An SEO expert utilizes a wide range of tools to measure different things including the condition of your site, the success of your competitors, backlinks and many more items. You can find out for yourself what the most popular SEO tools are and how they work. Larger SEO companies usually have their own software.
When Will I See Ranking Results?
SEO campaigns do not often produce results in a single day, but do you know how long it takes to rank for keywords? Every SEO company has different pace on the performance of SEO tasks which is based on their resources, time investment and employee base. The main strategy behind SEO is that the process is constantly ongoing and as changes are implemented, there is a process to track the results and then the entire cycle repeats. The growth of a business for the long term is one part of SEO, but the pace of the process can be decided through the answer provided by an SEO professional.
How do you Measure the Progress of Your Work?
How does an SEO expert determine if your site is doing well? There are a wide range of metrics that are compared that will guide a campaign from the ranking of keywords to the bounce rate on a website. All of the metrics are based on the response of visitors to your webpage and what they do after they arrive on your site. Metrics are the guiding factor for evaluating the authority of a website as well as the quality of the traffic that is visiting your website. An SEO expert should communicate with you and advise what is ideal about the ranking you currently have or if you should aim to get the #1 spot.
How Often do you Send out Reports?
Receiving a report from your SEO expert can be an exciting time. You will be able to easily see how your site has developed and the progress of it in real time. You will be able to see where your site needs improvement when you view these reports. These reports could come out weekly, monthly or once every three months, depending upon what the SEO expert’s practice is or what you both agree to. You could ask when reports are expected, what they will contain and how they will appear so that you will know how to read them. Custom reports can be an easy way for you and your team to plan a budget for marketing so that you can watch the whole SEO campaign develop. An SEO company that offers custom reporting offers both dedication and flexibility to their clients to help them to reach their goals.
What Makes you Stand out From Other SEO Experts?
When you start your search for a great SEO provider, you should ask them what sets them apart from other SEO companies. They should have a solid sense of the foundations of marketing and they should be able to answer you when you ask them what makes them different. When you ask a company to describe their methods along with their experience, they should have a pitch that explains this to you. You need them to be able to pinpoint what your audience wants and needs so that they can increase your rankings and your visibility. They should offer you an answer that provides you with a view to their depth of SEO knowledge. The SEO provider should be able to provide you with insight into their content building optimization and skills. SEO providers that work on results should be able to explain their practices on link building to you so that you are satisfied that they are not taking a short cut.
Are you able to Provide me with a Summary of your SEO Process?
There are many ways to approach and refine SEO methods which set out the main points that make up their SEO strategies. You provide an example and then let the expert respond with any tips and tricks they would suggest to have your site perform better. You should also be able to gauge the proficiency of them in the services that they offer. Any agency should be able to have a discussion about their internet marketing skills and ways they support your success. If you plan to do marketing on social media then it can be beneficial to understand how SEO plays into your campaigns. When you have an integrated campaign, all of your efforts are combined into a well rounded SEO strategy.
Do you Keep Your Clients up to Date on Technical Site Changes?
With SEO your website is transformed over time with changes to code levels and structure. It could be that the aesthetic appearance changes and that means it is always good when your SEO expert has transparency over the components of your site. When your SEO agency lets you know what their methods are then you can be assured that you are avoiding black hat SEO methods and possible penalties from Google. If SEO is not above-board, you may not find out until it is too late that your website and your business are both suffering and paying the price. You do not need to have a complete knowledge of SEO yourself, but being kept in the know and understanding the reasons for modifications to your site by your SEO expert can go a long way.
What Problems can you See with my Website?
When an SEO expert performs an SEO audit they can easily identify any potential problems with your website. They can point out which areas have room for improvement and how you can make those improvements easily. You should invite a potential SEO provider to review your site and give you their evaluation on the design, usability and content of your site. This can help you to decide if you could work with them on your SEO. An SEO audit can offer invaluable insight and help you to make a decision on working with that provider. If you are interested in learning more about credible SEO, one place to be able to find out more information is with Google Webmaster Guidelines. Google does not support any SEO methods that are not sincere or above board. Some examples of black hat methods are hidden text, keyword stuffing, duplicate content and link schemes.
What Will it Cost to Hire you as my SEO Expert?
When you review the options for SEO packages, it should be simple to understand what the cost is for a package and what is included in the package that you are purchasing. If it is not clear or easy to understand, then you need to ask questions. You want to know what is included in the package that you are purchasing. If the price seems too low then there might be some hinky tactics involved that you should not be a part of. Ask questions, find out the information you need to know and discuss payment and billing methods so that you can fully understand the cost of the work and what you will be getting for your payment.
Will There be any Changes to my Site if our Contract Ends?
If, for some reason your relationship with your SEO company is ended, you want to find out if there are going to be any changes to your site or if it will continue to function and thrive as expected. You want to know if there are extra costs associated with terminating your contract before it has concluded.
These are just a few questions that you can ask an SEO professional if you plan to hire one. You should do your own due diligence and ensure that you know as much as possible about the process, the results and what you can expect from your relationship with your SEO expert. You should find out as much as you can before you contract with someone for your SEO needs because you want to understand what they are going to do for you and how they will accomplish what you need.